The London Stock Exchange this morning moved to strengthen its defence against Nasdaq's hostile £2.9bn (€4.3bn) takeover bid, unveiling record results for last year as the verbal sparring between the two exchanges entered its second day.

The LSE said revenues in the nine months to the end of last year increased 16.7% to £253.2m (€377.6m) while its profits grew 75% to £85.4m.